Manually operated vehicle mounted gun lock

ABSTRACT

For use on a motor vehicle or the like, at least one readily applicable and removable gun holder. Each holder is characterized, broadly stated, by an adapter unit capable of being accessibly mounted on a predetermined area of the vehicle. A bracket is superimposed and fixed on the adapter unit and is provided with at least one upwardly opening U-shaped stirrup for reception and retention of the stock of the gun. A complemental shackle is provided and has a journal pivotally mounted in bearings provided therefor in walls of the adapter. The other end is provided with a hook for retentively but releasably coacting with the stirrup, that is, in a manner to seat and safely retain the gun stock within the confines of the stirrup. A key controlled lock is operably confined within a hollow portion of the adapter. Then too, securing and releasing means is cooperatively associated with the key controlled lock and journal, respectively, for controlling the pivotal movement of the journal.

Unite States Patent [1 1 Pinkerton et a1.

[5 MANUALLY OPERATED VEHICLE MOUNTED GUN LOCK [76] inventors: Martin L.Pinkerton, P.B. Box 362;

Oscar J. Duderstadt, both of Junction, Tex. 76849 [22] Filed: Nov. 26,1971 [21] Appl. No.: 202,103

Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Jerold M.Forsberg Attorney1-larvey B. Jacobson [57] ABSTRACT For use on a motorvehicle or the like, at least one readily applicable and removable gunholder. Each holder is characterized, broadly stated, by an adapter unitcapable of being accessibly mounted on a predetermined area of thevehicle. A bracket is superimposed and fixed on the adapter unit and isprovided with at least one upwardly opening U-shaped stirrup forreception and retention of the stock of the gun. A complemental shackleis provided and has a journal pivotally mounted in bearings providedtherefor in walls of the adapter. The other end is provided with a hookfor retentively but releasably coacting with the stirrup, that is, in amanner to seat and safely retain the gun stock within the confines ofthe stirrup. A key controlled lock is operably confined within a hollowportion of the adapter. Then too, securing and releasing means iscooperatively associated with the key controlled lock and journal,respectively, for controlling the pivotal movement of the journal.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures MANUALLY OPERATED VEHICLE MOUNTED GUN LOCKThis invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in avehicle supportedrack which is expressly designed and structurallyadapted to retentively but accessibly support one or more guns and whichis characterized by manually actuated lock controlled gun holding means.

Many and varied types and styles of gun racks have been devised andoffered for use to serve the purposes of hunters and sportsmen but forone reason or another appear not to have met with widespread endorsementor use. It follows that it is an object of the present invention, statedgenerally, to advance the art of vehicle mounted gun racks and, in sodoing, to better and more successfully serve the purposes of inventionsin this category of endeavor.

For background purposes the reader, if so desired, may take into accountand evaluate the gun rack revealed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,946,452 granted toJohn Caloiero et al. and which has a general bearing provided with aplurality of simultaneously actuatable openable and closable latches. Asimilar adaptation which also uses pivoted latches is disclosed inRaymond V. Hart U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,587.

It is an object of the present invention to improve In addition, anoperating connection is provided beupon the above-mentioned priorpatents and other.

prior art adaptations and, more particularly, on our prior U.S. Pat. No.3,326,385 which, briefly stated, comprises a rifle rack includinglocking levers selectively movable over the rifle receiving hooks andfunctioning to lock the rifles in the seated or cradled rack. Thispatented invention, unlike the present invention, embodies electricallyoperated locking means.

Briefly, the herein disclosed similar to prior art adaptations, lends,itself to effectually reliable use on a stationary support surface of amotor vehicle. It has to do with a manually usuable wholly mechanicalholder for at least one readily applicable and removable gun. Morespecifically, a satisfactorily performing construction utilizes anadapter unit so designed and constructed that it is capable of beingrigidly and accessibly mounted on a selected area of the supportsurface. A bracket is mounted on the adapter and is provided with atleast one stirrup for reception and retention of the stock of a gun. Acomplemental shackle is provided and has a journal at one end pivotallymounted in bearings provided therefor on the adapter. It also has alatching hook at the other end retentively but releasably coacting withthe stirrup in a manner to seat and safely retain the gun stock withinthe confines of the stirrup. A key controlled lock is mounted on theadapter and securing and releasing means is cooperatively associatedwith the lock and journal, respectively, in a manner to control thepivotal movement of the journal.

Stated somewhat more explicitly the adapter takes the form of a hollowsleeve, the hollow portion of the sleeve providing a housing. The keycontrolled lock embodies an encased barrel projecting into the confinesof the housing, a portion of the journal being enclosed and having akeeper notch. A slide is provided and has a lug fixed thereon inalignment with and is selectively seatable in the keeper seat in amanner to either permit or prevent pivotal movement of the journal.

tween the locked barrel and the oriented lug.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation showing a fragmentary portion of awall of a vehicle or other support and showing, what is moresignificant, a vertically disposed gun rack at the left and complementalpositioning and retaining means for the gun barrels at the right, theguns being latched and locked in place.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail view with parts in elevation takenapproximately on the plane of the vertical section line 2-2 of FIG. 1looking in the direction of the indicating arrows.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section on the plane of the section line 3-3 ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a similar sectional and elevational view fragmentarily shownand taken on the plane of the vertical section line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

The aformentioned adapter comprises a vertically elongated hollow sleeve6 which is herein shown (FIG. 2) as open at upper and lower ends butwhich may, of

course, be satisfactorily closed in any appropriate manner (notdetailed). The hollow portion of this sleeve constitutes an appropriatehousing 8. The sleeve is substantially rectangular in cross section andembodies a suitably attachable back or rear wall 10, opposed spacedparallel front wall 12 and connecting side walls 14. This sleeve isvertically elongated and is adapted to embody means for supporting twoguns or rifles as at A and B in FIG. 1. The construction may be such asto accommodate but a single gun or rifle or more than two as can beappreciated. For the purposes of accommodating the stock portions C ofthe guns A and B the upper and lower portions of the side walls 14 areprovided with properly paired and aligned bearing holes or bearings 16(FIG. 2). The exterior surface of the front wall 12 is provided with abracket 18 which is such in construction that it is superimposed on thesurface and approximately welded or otherwise joined thereto. Thebracket has means for supporting both of the aforementioned guns orrifles A and B but for simplification of description it is pointed outthat the bracket is pro-- vided with at least one outwardly opening hookor stirrup 20 or, alternatively, a pair of upper and lower stirrups. Thebill portions 22 are appropriately contoured and each thus constructedstirrup serves to accommodate the companion or complemental pivotedshackle 24. This shackle is of the construction shown best in FIG. 3wherein it will be observed that one end portion is fashioned into andprovides a journal 26 which extends through and is journaled foroperation in the associated bearing holes 16. As is further evident inFIG. 3, that portion of the journal which is situated within theconfines of the hollow portion of the sleeve has a notch 28 thereinproviding a keeper seat. The major portion of the shackle comprises ahook having component portions 30, 32 and 34. The terminal of theportion 34 constitutes a bill portion and terminates beyond the frontwall and in fact engages a coacting exterior surface of the side wall ofthe sleeve to prevent unauthorized access to the aforementioned stirrup20. It follows that this thus constructed and mounted shackle lendsitself to openable and closable use in association with a hook orstirrup 20 in the manner illustrated particularly in FIGS. 1 and 3,respectively. It is evident too that the receiver portion of the stirrupserves to accomodatingly seat and retain the stock of the associatedgun, that is when the stirrup is open after which the latch-like shackleis put into play to serve its stock holding and latching function (FIG.1).

A key controlled lock has an encased barrel 36 properly mounted withinthe confines of the hollow portion of the sleeve in a position below theplane of the associated journal. Securing and releasing means iscooperatively associated with the lock and journal, respectively, forcontrolling the pivotal movement of the journal. In carrying out thisaspect of the concept an elongated rectangular plate 38 is provided andis slidingly keyed within the hollow confines of the sleeve as broughtout in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. This plate is shiftably slidable on theinterior surface of the back wall and is provided with integrallaterally disposed upper and lower lugs 40 and 42. These lugs are suchin construction and arrangement that they are releasably cooperable withthe keeper seats in the aforementioned journals 26 as is evidentparticularly in FIG. 2. An operating connection is arranged between thelock barrel 36 and the associated lower lug 42 as brought out in FIGS. 2and 4. Experience has shown that a flanged clip or fixture 44 wellserves the desired purpose and lends itself to use in conjunction withthe toggle 46. The toggle comprises a first link 48 with one end fixedat 50 to the turntable key controlled lock barrel. A second link 52 ispivotally connected to the clip or fixture 44 and the two overlappinglinks pivotally joined to each other as at 54. It follows that the keycontrolled barrel of the encased lock comes into play when theaccessible key 56 is turned in the manner suggested in FIG. 4. This isto say the key controlled means slides the plate 38 up or down andeither lodges the lugs 40 and 42 in their respective keeper seats orreleases the same in the manner brought out in FIG. 2.

As is evident from the views of the drawing singly and collectivelyconstrued the invention is unique in that it is manually operated, isvehicle mounted, wholly mechanical and lock controlled. It well servesthe purposes for which it has been devised and perfected for use.

With further reference to FIG. 1, it will be evident that it is withinthe purview of the concept to provide a simple bracket for themuzzle-ends D of the gun barrels. This bracket is denoted at 56 andcomprises a bar 58 having outstanding eyes 60 into which the barrelendsare removably fitted in the manner shown.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention What isclaimed is:

1. For use on a relatively stationary support surface of a motorvehicle, a manually usable mechanical holder for at least one readilyapplicable gun comprising: an adapter unit capable of being rigidly andaccessibly mounted on a given area of said support surface,

a bracket mounted on said adapter unit and provided with at least onestirrup for reception and retention of the stock of a gun, a shacklehaving a journal at one end pivotally mounted in bearings providedtherefor on said adapter unit and a latching hook at the other endretentively but releasably coacting with said stirrup in a manner toseat and safely retain said stock within the confines of said stirrup, akey controlled lock mounted on said adapter unit, and securing andreleasing means cooperatively associated with said lock and journal,respectively, for controlling the pivotal movement of said journal, saidadapter unit comprising a hollow sleeve, the hollow portion of saidsleeve providing a housing, said key controlled lock embodying anencased barrel projecting into the confines of said housing, a portionof said journal being enclosed and having a keeper notch, a slide havinga lug fixed thereon in alignment with and selectively seatable in saidkeeper seat in a manner to either permit or prevent pivotal movement ofsaid jorunal, and an operating connection between said lock barrel andlug.

2. The gun holder defined in claim 1, and wherein said slide comprises aplate confined and shiftably mounted in said housing, said lug beingfixed on a face of said plate and projecting laterally therefrom andbeing adapted to fittingly seat itself in said keeper seat and releaseitself from the keeper seat in keeping with the selected positions ofsaid plate, said lug being provided with a fixture, and said operatingconnection comprising toggle embodying links having adjacent endspivotally connected, one link being fixedly connected with said lockbarrel, the other link being pivotally operatively connected with saidfixture.

3. The gun holder defined in and according to claim 2, and wherein thelatching hook at the aforementioned other end of said shackle has aterminal bill portion engaging a coacting exterior surface portion ofsaid sleeve to ensure that the latching hook effectually encompasses andprevents unauthorized access to the stirrup.

4. For use on a relatively stationary support surface of a motorvehicle, a manually usable wholly mechanical holder for at least onereadily applicable gun comprising: an elongated hollow sleeve, saidsleeve constituting an adapter and being adapted to be fixedly mountedon a predetermined portion of said vehicle, the hollow portion of saidsleeve constituting a housing, said sleeve embodying a rear wall, anopposed front wall, and interconnecting companion side walls, said sidewalls having aligned holes constituting bearings, a bracket equal inlength with and rigidly mounted on an exterior surface of the front wallof said sleeve, said bracket being provided with at least one upwardlyopening stirrup for reception and retention of the stock of aninsertable and removable gun, a rigid manually actuatable shackle havinga journal at one end pivotally mounted in the bearing holes provided insaid sleeve, that portion of the journal within the confines of thehollow portion of the sleeve having a notch therein providing a keeperseat, the major portion of said shackle being of hook-like constructionand having one portion releasably and cooperatively engageable with anend portion of said stirrup and having a bill portion terminating beyondthe front wall and engaging a coacting side wall of said sleeve toprevent unauthorized access to said stirrup, a key controlled lockhaving an encased barrel mounted within the confines of the hollowportion of said sleeve in a position below the plane of said journal,and wholly mechanical securing and releasing means cooperativelyassociated with the lock and notched journal, respectively, forcontrolling the pivotal movement of said journal.

5. The gun holder defined in and according to claim 4, and wherein saidsecuring and releasing means comprises a plate slidingly keyed withinthe hollow confines of said sleeve, said plate being shiftably slidableon an interior surface of the back wall of said sleeve, said platehaving a laterally projecting lug, said lug being selectivelyregistrable with and seatable in said keeper seat, and an operatingconnection between said lock barrel and lug.

6. The gun holder defined in and according to claim 4, and wherin saidsecuring and releasing means comprises a plate slidingly keyed withinthe hollow confines of said sleeve, said plate being shiftably slidableon an interior surface of the back Wall of said sleeve, said platehaving a laterally projecting lug, said lug being selectivelyregistrable with and seatable in said keeper seat, and an operatingconnection between said lock barrel and lug, said operating connectioncomprising a flanged fixture fixed to and depending from said lug, andtoggle means comprising a first link having one end affixed to said lockbarrel, a second link pivotally connected to a coacting part of saidfixture, adjacent ends of said links being overlapped and pivotallyconnected together.

fi =l=

1. For use on a relatively stationary support surface of a motorvehicle, a manually usable mechanical holder for at least one readilyapplicable gun comprising: an adapter unit capable of being rigidly andaccessibly mounted on a given area of said support surface, a bracketmounted on said adapter unit and provided with at least one stirrup forreception and Retention of the stock of a gun, a shackle having ajournal at one end pivotally mounted in bearings provided therefor onsaid adapter unit and a latching hook at the other end retentively butreleasably coacting with said stirrup in a manner to seat and safelyretain said stock within the confines of said stirrup, a key controlledlock mounted on said adapter unit, and securing and releasing meanscooperatively associated with said lock and journal, respectively, forcontrolling the pivotal movement of said journal, said adapter unitcomprising a hollow sleeve, the hollow portion of said sleeve providinga housing, said key controlled lock embodying an encased barrelprojecting into the confines of said housing, a portion of said journalbeing enclosed and having a keeper notch, a slide having a lug fixedthereon in alignment with and selectively seatable in said keeper seatin a manner to either permit or prevent pivotal movement of saidjournal, and an operating connection between said lock barrel and lug.2. The gun holder defined in claim 1, and wherein said slide comprises aplate confined and shiftably mounted in said housing, said lug beingfixed on a face of said plate and projecting laterally therefrom andbeing adapted to fittingly seat itself in said keeper seat and releaseitself from the keeper seat in keeping with the selected positions ofsaid plate, said lug being provided with a fixture, and said operatingconnection comprising toggle embodying links having adjacent endspivotally connected, one link being fixedly connected with said lockbarrel, the other link being pivotally operatively connected with saidfixture.
 3. The gun holder defined in and according to claim 2, andwherein the latching hook at the aforementioned other end of saidshackle has a terminal bill portion engaging a coacting exterior surfaceportion of said sleeve to ensure that the latching hook effectuallyencompasses and prevents unauthorized access to the stirrup.
 4. For useon a relatively stationary support surface of a motor vehicle, amanually usable wholly mechanical holder for at least one readilyapplicable gun comprising: an elongated hollow sleeve, said sleeveconstituting an adapter and being adapted to be fixedly mounted on apredetermined portion of said vehicle, the hollow portion of said sleeveconstituting a housing, said sleeve embodying a rear wall, an opposedfront wall, and interconnecting companion side walls, said side wallshaving aligned holes constituting bearings, a bracket equal in lengthwith and rigidly mounted on an exterior surface of the front wall ofsaid sleeve, said bracket being provided with at least one upwardlyopening stirrup for reception and retention of the stock of aninsertable and removable gun, a rigid manually actuatable shackle havinga journal at one end pivotally mounted in the bearing holes provided insaid sleeve, that portion of the journal within the confines of thehollow portion of the sleeve having a notch therein providing a keeperseat, the major portion of said shackle being of hook-like constructionand having one portion releasably and cooperatively engageable with anend portion of said stirrup and having a bill portion terminating beyondthe front wall and engaging a coacting side wall of said sleeve toprevent unauthorized access to said stirrup, a key controlled lockhaving an encased barrel mounted within the confines of the hollowportion of said sleeve in a position below the plane of said journal,and wholly mechanical securing and releasing means cooperativelyassociated with the lock and notched journal, respectively, forcontrolling the pivotal movement of said journal.
 5. The gun holderdefined in and according to claim 4, and wherein said securing andreleasing means comprises a plate slidingly keyed within the hollowconfines of said sleeve, said plate being shiftably slidable on aninterior surface of the back wall of said sleeve, said plate having alaterally projecting lug, said lug beinG selectively registrable withand seatable in said keeper seat, and an operating connection betweensaid lock barrel and lug.
 6. The gun holder defined in and according toclaim 4, and wherein said securing and releasing means comprises a plateslidingly keyed within the hollow confines of said sleeve, said platebeing shiftably slidable on an interior surface of the back wall of saidsleeve, said plate having a laterally projecting lug, said lug beingselectively registrable with and seatable in said keeper seat, and anoperating connection between said lock barrel and lug, said operatingconnection comprising a flanged fixture fixed to and depending from saidlug, and toggle means comprising a first link having one end affixed tosaid lock barrel, a second link pivotally connected to a coacting partof said fixture, adjacent ends of said links being overlapped andpivotally connected together.